Traces of Gold - Louisiana Territory

I first noticed Louisiana Territory shortly after their inception two years ago. Their steady rise in popularity and solidarity has led to them to a very crucial place, the release of their first full-length record: Traces of Gold. The title track, appearing first in the track list, sets the tone for the rest of this brilliant indie rock record. Glistening melodic moments locked into to ore of howling rock music.

The Music

It's apparent that Louisiana Territory set out to create a sound all their own. They have made huge strides since the release of the self titled EP. I can feel the under currents of their influences, yet can't quite put my finger on where they have arrived with this record, which always impresses me. The entire record is drenched in rich melodies. The rhythm section harkens back to punchy 80's rock. (The good kind.) And the guitars thoughtfully crunch and wail. And of course, the use of great synthesizer is the secret weapon. All of which perfectly allow the vocals to swoon and deliver. If you like honest, powerful indie rock, then you'll like the sound of this record.

Photo By Casey Templeton

The Production

I'm always amazed when something that sounds this good comes out of a studio in Richmond. But John Morand at Sound of Music has knocked it out of the park again. The attention to detail is uncanny. Morand has the gift of bringing a band’s true talent to the forefront and tying it all together.

The Meaning

There are not too many indie rock bands that immensely overwhelm me with their lyrical content. In a genre where it's all to easy to write flippant but "fun" songs about skateboarding or how they hate their parents because they don’t like your life style choices (rant), you can tell Louisiana Territory strives to give their songs meaning. Whether it's pondering the eternal inertia for the universe in Orion's Belt or the finite ephemerality of human life in Last Day of March, these songs have meat on their bones. And that, coupled with the gnarly guitar riffs, is what keeps me coming back to this record.

Photo By Casey Templeton

The CD

You can get your copy of Louisiana Territory's Traces of Gold
at their CD Release Show Friday, November13th at Gallery 5

They are also streaming the record for a limited time before the release
on MySpace starting November 6th.


This Saturday LA Territory will be playing LIVE on WRIR at 5pm


To Read More about LA Territory's photo shoot with Casey Templeton Click Here

Title: Traces of Gold
Artist: Louisiana Territory
Author: Chris Payne
Date: November 5th 2009